3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice 3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice 2 ♠ K Q J With the exception of the four hands highlighted as being a practice of last week's East Deals ♥ Q 8 2 workshop, the deals have been selected from last Friday's Northamptonshire Inter-Club N-S Vul ♦ Q 9 8 6 match between Stamford A and Stamford B . ♣ K Q J ♠ ♠ A 10 7 N 6 5 4 ♠ ♥ ♥ Board 1 10 K J 9 7 4 WE A 10 3 ♥ ♦ ♦ North Deals A J 10 4 5 S 10 7 4 3 None Vul ♦ K Q 7 4 ♣ 8 6 5 4 ♣ 10 7 2 ♣ K 9 5 3 ♠ 9 8 3 2 ♠ ♠ ♥ Q 9 8 5 N K J 4 2 6 5 ♥ ♥ ♦ 5 2 WE K 9 8 6 3 A K J 2 ♦ ♦ ♣ J 8 S 10 3 2 A 9 3 ♣ Q J 6 4 2 ♣ 7 ♠ A 7 6 3 NS 2 ♠; NS 3 ♦; NS 1N; EW 1 ♥; NS 1 ♣; Par +110 ♥ Q 7 West North East South ♦ A 9 6 5 Pass 1 N1 ♣ A 10 8 Pass 3 N All pass 1. 12-14. NS 3N; NS 5 ♦; N 3 ♥; NS 2 ♠; S 2 ♥; NS 3 ♣; Par +400 West North East South [Follow up to last week's workshop] 1 ♦1 Pass 1 ♠ Pass 2 ♣2 Pass 2 ♥3 Lead: ♥ 7. Pass 3 ♥4 Pass 3 N5 All pass East stares intently at the lead and calculates, on a Rule of Eleven basis, that 11 - 7 = 4. 1. With a touching 4441 hand, opens the middle suit. He counts dummy's ♥ Q8 and his own ♥ A10 as cards higher than the . 2. Usually 5+diamonds and 4+clubs. With the awkward 4441 With those cards totalling 4 there is no room for declarer to have a card higher than ♥ 7. hand, this is the exception where the suit lengths are only On that basis East can play ♥ 10 with impunity knowing, for sure, that it will hold the 4/4. trick (this, of course, is on the assumption that the lead was a standard fourth best one). 3. . With West holding a five card suit the defence quickly comes to five tricks to defeat the 4. Natural, so North is 0454 or the actual 1444 shape. contract (East continues with the top-of-a-doubleton [and unblocking] ♥ A followed by 5. ... but perhaps hoping there's no spade lead (5 ♦ may be ♥ 3). With ♠ A to come the contract will be limited to seven tricks. playable). If East wrongly wins trick one with ♥ A the contract is still defeated provided East Lead: ♥ 5. continues the heart suit. It will, however, only result in a one trick defeat.

It's often right to lead the fourth suit but that doesn't do declarer any harm here (with the spades breaking 4-4, even a spade lead cannot defeat the contract). East can do a Rule of Eleven calculation and soon realises that the lead is not logically consistent with a fourth best lead. Taking 5 from 11 gets us to 6 and dummy and East's hand, before considering declarer's hand, already contain 7 cards higher than ♥ 5. It looks as if West has led top of a doubleton. East's best shot is to win ♥ K and fire back a fourth best ♠ 2. With the diamond suit breaking 3-2 there are ten tricks. A spade lead would have held the contract to nine tricks as declarer would only have been able to knock out ♥ K when the defence had established three winners there. 3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice 3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice Board 3 ♠ Q 8 7 Board 4 ♠ 9 8 4 South Deals ♥ J 8 7 6 3 West Deals ♥ K E-W Vul ♦ K J 10 Both Vul ♦ Q 10 8 6 3 ♣ 9 5 ♣ J 8 5 4 ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ A K J 10 N 6 4 3 K 7 6 3 2 N Q 5 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ K 2 WE A 10 4 Q 8 5 3 WE A 10 4 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Q 9 6 5 S 8 4 3 2 A 5 S J 9 4 2 ♣ Q J 10 ♣ A K 3 ♣ A 10 ♣ Q 9 7 2 ♠ 9 5 2 ♠ A J 10 ♥ Q 9 5 ♥ J 9 7 6 2 ♦ A 7 ♦ K 7 ♣ 8 7 6 4 2 ♣ K 6 3

EW 2N; EW 2 ♠; EW 3 ♦; EW 2 ♣; NS 1 ♥; Par 120 EW 3N; EW 2 ♠; EW 2 ♥; EW 2 ♦; EW 2 ♣; Par 600 West North East South West North East South Pass 1 ♠ Pass 1 N Pass 1 ♦ Pass 3 ♦1 Pass 2 ♥ Pass 2 ♠1 All pass 3 N All pass 1. Shows "false preference" (i.e. has a shorter holding) for 1. 10-12, 4+diamonds ("limit raise"). spades. Generally 5-2 fits are safer than 4-3 ones. The problem with the latter is the possibility of the defence [Follow up to last week's workshop] leading a side suit, forcing declarer to in the longer hand. Now an expected 4-2 trump break could North leads a fourth best ♥ 6 and using the Rule of Eleven allows South to calculate that cause a problem as declarer may lose control of the hand. declarer has one card higher than the opening lead (11-6 = 5; dummy has 2 cards higher; South has 2). Declarer will always make two tricks unless North has underlead Lead: ♦ 6. both ♥ K and ♥ J. The critical case is demonstrated in the actual layout where West has the king of hearts. With dummy's ♥ 10 being a promotable card it's important that At the table dummy played low and South played ♦ K*, taken by declarer with the ace. South plays ♥ 9 on the first round (after declarer has called for ♥ 4). Now declarer is A diamond was fired back to establish ♦ J as a winner. North became too active restricted to two hearts. If South wrongly plays ♥ Q declarer can make three hearts by switching to a club such that ♣ K was taken with the ace and dummy's ♣ Q established. finessing against North's ♥ J. That would be fatal as declarer can now make three West played on trumps and in the fullness of time could discard two hearts on the spades (after taking a losing ), three hearts and three clubs. promoted ♦ J and ♣ Q (West was able to run ♣ 10 through North's ♣ J). With ♥ K falling under dummy's ace that was an improbable +170 to East West. Hopefully, East West, your defence was better (than mine).

*notice that if South can read ♦ 6 as fourth best he can play ♦ 7! That's because, using the Rule of Eleven, declarer is marked with one card higher than ♦ 6. That card must be ♦ A because North would not have underled a side-suit ace against a trump contract at trick one . If West had foreseen this possibility he would have done better to play dummy's ♦ 9. That would force South to play the king and declarer could again lead towards dummy's ♦ J. 3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice 3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice Board 5 ♠ K J 9 5 4 Board 6 ♠ 8 2 North Deals ♥ 4 East Deals ♥ Q 9 2 N-S Vul ♦ 10 8 E-W Vul ♦ J 9 3 ♣ K 10 6 5 4 ♣ Q 8 7 4 3 ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ Q 10 N A 6 2 A J 7 5 N K 10 6 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ A Q 10 8 7 WE K J 5 3 2 A 10 6 5 4 WE K J 8 7 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ A 2 S K J 5 3 5 S A 8 7 2 ♣ A Q J 2 ♣ 9 ♣ A 9 6 ♣ K 10 ♠ 8 7 3 ♠ Q 9 4 3 ♥ 9 6 ♥ 3 ♦ Q 9 7 6 4 ♦ K Q 10 6 4 ♣ 8 7 3 ♣ J 5 2

EW 6 ♥; W 5N; E 3N; EW 3 ♦; W 2 ♣; EW 1 ♠; E 1 ♣; Par 980 EW 7 ♥; EW 6N; EW 6 ♠; EW 3 ♦; EW 2 ♣; Par 2210 West North East South West North East South Pass 1 ♥ Pass 1 N1 Pass 2 ♣1 Pass 2 ♦ Pass 2 ♣2 Pass 2 ♥ Pass 2 ♠2 Pass3 2 N Pass 4 ♥ All pass 3 ♥4 Pass 3 ♠5 Pass 1. 12-14. 4 N6 Pass 5 ♥7 Pass 2. Stayman. 6 ♥8 All pass 1. Taking it slowly. West can safely use Stayman here. If East denies a major by bidding 2 ♦ he can jump to 2. Fourth suit forcing. 3 ♥ to show five hearts and this type of hand. Alternatively West could go a transfer 3. Might double for the lead. route : 1N - 2 ♦; 2 ♥ - 2 ♠ (natural and forcing); 3 ♥ - 4 ♥, all pass. 4. Game forcing after using fourth suit before agreeing a suit. 5. Ace-showing . Declarer is unlikely to pick up the queen of trumps but might make twelve tricks if he 6. Roman Key Card Blackwood. guesses which way to take the two-way spade finesse. It's possible to ruff a club and the 7. Two of the five "aces", no queen of trumps. fourth spade in dummy. 8. Might try for 7 ♥ by bidding 5N, asking for specific kings.

There will be many routes to this cold (i.e. unbeatable) small slam. With the trumps breaking 2-1 (expected 78% of the time) it's just a matter of taking three ruffs in one hand. Declarer can either ruff two diamonds and a spade in the West hand or ruff three clubs in the East had. That means the trump suit provides eight winners (five trumps and three ruffs opposite) to go with the four top winners in the side-suits - ♠ A, ♦ AK and ♣ A. 3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice 3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice Board 7 ♠ K 9 8 Board 8 ♠ A 8 3 South Deals ♥ J 8 7 West Deals ♥ A 3 Both Vul ♦ K 7 6 None Vul ♦ Q 9 7 2 ♣ A 9 7 6 ♣ A 6 5 2 ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ Q J 7 6 4 N A 10 3 2 Q 10 2 N K J 9 7 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ A Q 10 WE 5 4 3 K 8 5 WE J 7 6 4 2 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Q 4 S A 10 5 3 2 J 8 5 S 6 3 ♣ Q 3 2 ♣ J ♣ K J 10 3 ♣ 9 7 ♠ 5 ♠ 6 5 4 ♥ K 9 6 2 ♥ Q 10 9 ♦ J 9 8 ♦ A K 10 4 ♣ K 10 8 5 4 ♣ Q 8 4

EW 4 ♠; EW 2N; EW 3 ♦; NS 2 ♣; N 1 ♥; Par 620 NS 2N; NS 3 ♦; NS 2 ♣; NS 1 ♠; Par +120 West North East South West North East South Pass Pass 1 N1 Pass 2 N2 1 ♠ Pass 2 ♦ Pass Pass 3 N All pass 2 ♠ Pass 4 ♠ All pass 1. 12-14. 2. Invitational to 3N. No interest. Lead: ♥ 7. [Follow up to last week's workshop] This is a game that is difficult to reach but is possible, especially if East West are aficionados of the Losing Trick Count ("LTC"). It's not a particularly good game. One of Lead: ♥ 4. the problems of the familiar 4-3-2-1 point count is that it devalues aces (and, to some extent, kings). In a modified form of the LTC a player takes into account the difference Declarer calls for dummy's ♥ 9 and West makes a Rule of Eleven calculation. 11-4 = 7 between the number of aces and queens held. For each difference of one, half a loser is and all of West and South's cards are bigger than this. That leaves North with one deducted. Are you following this? Thus East has a raw LTC count of eight but as he has higher card. Declarer will always make at least one heart and the critical position is two aces and no queens he can deduct one more loser. So he has 7 losers and, with when North holds ♥ A. Now West's playing of ♥ K would be a disaster as it allows North opener purporting to have at most 7 losers, that means East can contract for game. to win and finesse ♥ 10 to create three heart winners. West should appreciate that With the spade finesse holding, declarer can play on diamonds, leading ♦ 2 towards dummy's ♥ Q is promotable and play ♥ 5, effectively ducking! Declarer has two heart ♦ Q. Although this loses to ♦ K the 3-3 suit break means the suit can be set up. Declarer tricks but shouldn't make a third. When North plays a club towards ♣ Q he is not loses one heart, one diamond and one club. rewarded and there are just eight tricks.

Using a point count approach to bidding is less likely to get the partnership to game. 1 ♠ - 3 ♠; pass seems sensible. West holds four queens, the ones being unsupported. A yucky thirteen count. 3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice 3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice Board 9 ♠ Q 7 4 3 Board 10 ♠ J 9 6 3 North Deals ♥ Q 7 2 East Deals ♥ A K 10 8 2 E-W Vul ♦ J 5 3 Both Vul ♦ 4 ♣ A 5 4 ♣ A J 3 ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ J N 10 6 2 K Q 5 2 N — ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ A 6 5 WE K J 10 9 8 4 Q 6 5 WE 7 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ A K 10 8 7 4 S Q 2 A J 2 S K 10 9 7 6 5 ♣ K 8 7 ♣ 10 2 ♣ 10 8 4 ♣ K Q 9 7 6 2 ♠ A K 9 8 5 ♠ A 10 8 7 4 ♥ 3 ♥ J 9 4 3 ♦ 9 6 ♦ Q 8 3 ♣ Q J 9 6 3 ♣ 5

NS 4 ♠; EW 4 ♥; EW 4 ♦; NS 3 ♣; Par +200: EW 5 ♦1; EW 5 ♥1 NS 4 ♠; NS 4 ♥; EW 5 ♣; EW 3 ♦; NS 1N; Par 200: NS 5 ♥1; West North East South NS 5 ♠1 Pass 2 ♥1 2 ♠ West North East South 4 ♥ 4 ♠ All pass 1 ♦ Pass 1. c. 6-10, 6hearts ( a "weak two"). 1 ♠ 2 ♥ 3 ♣ 3 ♥ 4 ♣ Pass 5 ♣ All pass A good hand on which to illustrate the lack of certainty in bridge. West leads ♦ A and he might crash partner's ♦ Q if he continues with a second top diamond. That's not fatal as Who needs points? With 6-6 distribution East will be quickly propelled to the five level. long as he cashes ♥ A at trick three (he knows South has only one heart [putting partner That's a good decision as 4 ♥ will make provided declarer plays West to hold ♥ Q with six] and that could be discarded on ♦ J). Declarer gets to draw trumps and plays (reasonable if East shows massive minor suit distribution). 5 ♣ can be made but seems on clubs. He leads ♣ Q and runs it. It holds but now he has a guess as to whether to a little far-fetched. It requires declarer to finesse ♦ J and to run ♣ 10. So it probably continue with ♣ J (correct if East started with ♣ 102 as ♣ 10 is now pinned) or to play a won't make but it isn't likely to be doubled either. With wild distribution those low club, playing West to have started with ♣ K7 (the king now falling, promoting defensive tricks seem to melt away so North will be reluctant to reach for the red card. declarer's ♣ J). What if West covers the first club with ♣ K? Now declarer has a different dilemma - whether to cash ♣ J to cater for West having started with ♣ K10 doubleton or whether to play East to hold ♣ 10 and finesse ♣ 9. Decisions. Decisions.

But can declarer do better? Yes! Declarer can (hopefully) assume that East has six hearts. He'll also know, after drawing trumps, that East has three trumps and he can also be counted for two diamonds (ruffing a diamond back to hand will definitively reveal the 6-2 break). That means East started with a doubleton club and, given the above, the only way to play the hand is to assume that East started with ♣ 10.

Has everything been said? No! If 4 ♠ "always" makes then there's something to be said for East West bidding on to 5 ♥ though the vulnerability may preclude this. South will cash ♠ A and North will follow with a suit preference ♠ 3 (low card asking for a club switch). South dutifully plays ♣ Q and declarer will always be defeated - by one trick if he picks up ♥ Q, else two. If 5 ♥ isn't doubled it'll be cheap whatever happens. 3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice 3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice Board 11 ♠ K 3 Board 12 ♠ K Q 10 7 6 South Deals ♥ K 10 8 4 West Deals ♥ A 3 2 None Vul ♦ 8 7 5 2 N-S Vul ♦ 4 ♣ Q 9 3 ♣ K Q J 8 ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ Q 10 4 N 9 8 2 A 5 2 N J 4 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Q 9 3 WE A J 7 2 8 4 WE 6 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Q 9 6 S J 10 4 3 A Q 10 5 3 S K J 8 7 6 2 ♣ K 10 5 2 ♣ 8 7 ♣ 9 5 2 ♣ A 10 7 3 ♠ A J 7 6 5 ♠ 9 8 3 ♥ 6 5 ♥ K Q J 10 9 7 5 ♦ A K ♦ 9 ♣ A J 6 4 ♣ 6 4 West North East South 1 ♠ NS 4 ♥; NS 3 ♠; EW 3 ♦; EW 1 ♣; Par +300: EW 5 ♦2 Pass 1 N Pass 2 N West North East South Pass 3 N All pass Pass 1 ♠ 2 ♦ 4 ♥ 5 ♦ Dbl All pass [Follow up to last week's workshop] When South leaps to game like this it's best to play him to have this sort of hand - East leads a fourth best ♥ 2. On that assumption (of a 4th best lead), West knows preemptive in terms of values but with lots of playing potential because the suit is of declarer has a reasonable holding in the suit (a suit of the four cards he's known to hold quality. That might be the clue as to what North does over West's bounce to 5 ♦. If from a 11-2 = 9 calculation). Dummy has no promotable card so West plays ♥ Q and South has the hand type as shown then it would be good to play for that hand being declarer wins to play ♠ K and a finesse of ♠ J. That loses and West pushes back a (now) aceless. As such North knows that 5 ♥ won't make because of those cashing bullets. top-of-a-doubleton ♥ 9, covered with ♥ 10 and won by East's ♥ J. East exits with a The winning decision is to double and take the money (difficult to do when the upside of neutral diamond and declarer cashes dummy's three spade winners, throwing a making 5 ♥ would be +650). Yes, +300 is the limit for North South. East loses one diamonds, and plays ♣ A and another club. West rises with ♣ K and is able to play ♥ 3. spade, one heart and two clubs. North's ♥ 84 are trapped in the jaws of East's ♥ A7. One down and well defended. 3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice 3rdJune2015 SupervisedPractice Board 13 ♠ A J 3 Board 14 ♠ A North Deals ♥ A Q 7 5 4 East Deals ♥ Q J 6 5 3 Both Vul ♦ 10 8 None Vul ♦ 9 4 ♣ Q 5 2 ♣ Q J 10 7 6 ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ 9 8 N K 10 5 4 Q J 10 5 2 N K 7 3 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 9 8 2 WE J 3 K 10 9 8 WE A 4 2 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ K Q J 7 4 3 S 5 2 A J 7 S K Q 10 8 6 ♣ K 9 ♣ J 10 8 7 3 ♣ 3 ♣ A 8 ♠ Q 7 6 2 ♠ 9 8 6 4 ♥ K 10 6 ♥ 7 ♦ A 9 6 ♦ 5 3 2 ♣ A 6 4 ♣ K 9 5 4 2

NS 4N; NS 4 ♠; NS 4 ♥; NS 2 ♣; EW 1 ♦; Par +630 EW 6 ♦; EW 5 ♠; EW 3 ♥; EW 2N; NS 3 ♣; Par 800: NS 7 ♣4 West North East South West North East South 1 ♥ Pass 1 ♠ 1 ♦ Pass 2 ♦ 2 ♠ Pass 4 ♥ 1 ♠ 2 N1 Dbl2 3 ♣3 All pass 3 ♦ Pass 3 ♠ Pass 4 ♠ Pass Pass 5 ♣ North might open 1N in which case the contract is likely to be 3N, South eschewing the Dbl All pass use of Stayman with such a flat hand. Here North sensibly raises the spade suit with 1. Unusual two no trumps - showing 5+/5+ in the unbid suits good three card support and a worthless doubleton. South is able to return to hearts (so clubs and hearts). lest partner's raise was made with a trebleton. 2. Extra values. 3. Biding time (interested in sacrificing but only if the West leads ♦ 5, in response to the , and declarer wins to draw three rounds of opponents reach game). trumps ending in the dummy. A finesse of the ♠ J is not successful and the defence plays two more rounds of diamonds, declarer ruffing the second. North tests the spades for a It would be a little churlish to say that East West have missed the boat in that 6 ♦ is 3-3 break but that doesn't happen. There may still be two club losers so declarer always making, with the spade suit providing a discard of East's heart loser. They might generally is hoping that West has ♣ K, in which case ♣ Q is promoted. He carefully compete to 5 ♠ in the auction and that will be successful and give them +450/+480 (the cashes ♣ A (just in case ♣ K was singleton) and leads a club from dummy. The luck is in former the result if North leads a heart as South now gets a ruff after North is in with the and North South have their +620. top trump). South's bidding here is canny in that he's prepared to sacrifice in 5 ♣ (i.e. play in a non-making contract when he expects the penalty to be less than allowing the opponents to play in their contract). He doesn't make that decision until East West get to the game level. There is a counter-argument suggesting that South blasts 5 ♣ on the second round of bidding as that takes away much of the opponents' bidding space and may make reaching slam more difficult. Bridge, eh? More decisions.

5 ♣ plays well for the sacrificers and should only lose four tricks (-300), those tricks being a heart, two diamonds and a club.